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I know I’m going to get burned for doing this, but I’m turning on my oven today and whipping up a little kitchen sink fruit bread. I can hear the groaning replies now; Julie, have you seen how hot it is outside? Julie, have you lost your mind? Julie, no bread can possibly be worth the discomfort of heating up your kitchen right now.

Let me respond to these legitimate concerns and say that, yes, I am aware how hot is outside, and, yes, I may have lost my mind at some point between boy number one and boy number three. However, I’m starting to go through severe baking withdrawals (this mommy loves, loves, loves to use her oven!) and this bread is soooooo worth the effort and heat discomfort that comes along with it. So turn the air conditioner down a notch boys and girls cuz we’re baking some kitchen sink fruit bread.

You can probably already guess that this bread has a pile of fruit in it. Let’s just say I needed to clear out the fridge and that’s how it came to be made. The loaf contains a mixture of banana, zucchini, and blackberries. I love how the blackberries add a punch of color and flavor to the finished product. And of course, the streusel topping. Oh how I love the streusel topping. Am I tempting you yet to turn on the oven? Not over your dead body? Ok, well, let’s move on to the recipe and see if I can sway you with a few pictures!
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Granola. It’s versatile, it’s healthy and it’s really easy to make. No really it is. And you can put just about anything in it. Don’t have almonds? That’s no problem add pecans. Don’t like cranberries? So add some raisins instead. Like it all? Then throw it all in. That’s the beauty of granola. It can be whatever you want it to be.

If you want a healthy kid friendly recipe this one is the answer. From the very minute I finished this batch of granola, Nicholas was all over it. He loves it with yogurt and a sprinkle of honey over the top. In fact, he’s had a bowl of it every day this week. And I love that it has flax seeds, nuts, oats and berries in it; I know he’s getting a healthy breakfast. Mix and match the nuts and fruit to your child’s likes, but just make it! I promise your children will love it. Oh, and you will too. Here’s what you’ll need:

First up, throw everything into a large bowl and mix it up good with the exception of the dried cherries. Once it’s mixed up well, spread it out on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Now throw it into your oven set to 375 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes stirring every 10 minutes. Pull it out when it’s golden brown.

Let it cool and then add in your dried fruit.

And that’s that! Now all that’s left to do is eat it. Eat it with yogurt, make it into cookies (yep, that’s a future recipe you’ll be seeing in the not so distant future), or just grab a handful straight up. There’s never a bad time to grab a handful of this delicious treat!

Who says you can’t have breakfast for dinner? Certainly not me. And when they’re uber healthy banana pecan waffles, I say lunch and late night snack work too! These little nuggets are sooo yummy and pack a healthy punch to make you feel good about your meal to boot. I actually watched my 13 month old eat a banana while I made them and then eat not one, not two, but THREE of these bad boys. I’m not quite sure where he stores it all but hey, I’ll take the compliment. So let’s go. Here’s what you’ll need for a delicious breakfast treat:

2 Eggs

1 3/4 Cup of Milk

1/4 Cup of Oil

1/4 Cup of Unsweetened Applesauce

1 tsp of Vanilla Extract

1 tsp of Almond Extract

1 Cup of Whole Wheat Flour

1/2 Cup of Flax Seed

1/4 Cup of Wheat Germ

1/4 Cup of White Flour

4 tsp of Baking Powder

1 Tbsp of Sugar

1/4 tsp Salt

1 Banana, chopped

1/4 Cup chopped Pecans

Grab a large mixing bowl and mix your wet ingredients well; your eggs, milk, oil, applesauce, vanilla and almond extract. Next add in your dry ingredients one at a time, combining after each addition; your whole wheat flour, flax seed, wheat germ, white flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. Finally add in your banana and pecans, stirring by hand until just mixed. I just broke my banana into small pieces by hand and dropped them into the batter.

Now you’re ready to make waffles! Cook your waffles according to your waffle maker’s instructions and enjoy! I served them up with real maple syrup and a few blueberries on top for a fruity punch.